Ever since Donald Trump became US President, the eleven
million paperless people have been living in greater fear than ever before. A
lot is at stake, especially for undocumented youths like Cecilia.

By Caspar Shaller, WOZ

August 16, 2018

...Many [undocumented immigrants] have had bad experiences with going public,
says Jane Guskin. She researches global migration at the City University of New
York, has been active in the asylum rights movement since the 1980s, and is
co-author of the book The Politics of Immigration, which is considered a
standard leftist reference book on US immigration policy. She suggests meeting
in a Bengali restaurant in Queens, the urban district with the highest
foreign-born population density in the country.

"When Daca was introduced, there was great skepticism
in the community," says Guskin. "To qualify, you had to tell the
state where you live and work, where you go to school." Many were afraid
that this information could be used against them. "It turns out they were
right," says Guskin grimly. "Some people go to the immigration office
for their annual appointment and are picked up and deported by the ICE
agency!"

American media are full of reports of the consequences of
this uncertainty: Mexican citizens storm the consulates to renew their
passports so they can quickly leave the US in an emergency. The head of a large
New York hospital reported at a press conference that migrants were shunning
health care institutions. Instead, they would place injured or sick relatives
in front of the emergency room door and run away. And because the hurdles are
high, the number of new applications for Daca has fallen sharply. "It
costs $ 500 to apply. How can you pay for it if you have to work off the
books?" Guskin asks. In addition, the forms are so complex that only
lawyers can fill them out.

Anyway, Daca is just a poor compromise, says the longtime
activist Guskin. There is no path to naturalization. No one is really willing
to improve the legal situation of migrants. For decades the Republicans have
been presenting themselves as protectors of an idealized America "from the
foreign hordes," but in practice they have shown increasing interest in
allowing a steady influx of cheap labor -- "completely disenfranchised, of
course," says Guskin. "No one sets up a union or demands a minimum
wage if the boss can threaten to call the immigration police."

This deception of the xenophobic Republican base was one of
the reasons for Trump's electoral success. The Democrats, on the other hand,
like to see themselves as defenders of minorities. But in reality, hardly any
concrete action followed the inclusive rhetoric. At most there might be some
little goodies before elections, if Democrats wanted to secure the votes of
Latinos and Latinas. This is one of the reasons why many young migrants feel
that the concept of "Dreamers" has become politically exploited. In
the last elections less Latinas and Latinos voted for Hillary Clinton than
expected.

"Obama, a Democrat, was
the president who has deported the most people in US history," says
Guskin. During his tenure, more than three million people were expelled. These
mass deportations, the extension of the prison system and the militarization of
the borders do not make Obama appear in the eyes of many migrants as the savior
he is for many liberal Americans. He even introduced a fingerprint for
migrants. The director of a migration organization told the New York Review of
Books magazine: "Obama built this machine and then handed the keys to a
maniac."...

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

It’s clear that immigration
issues will continue to occupy much of the political discourse next year, and
so will misinformation. A lot will depend on how effectively people at the
grassroots work to counter the myths and distortions.

This fall we participated in five
dialogues
on immigration in the New York City area. We’re hoping to do more next
year; please contact us at thepoliticsofimmigration@gmail.com
if you’re interested in sponsoring an event. But we don’t want to be the only
ones: we’d like to see as many people as possible holding their own dialogues. You
can watch a full dialogue, sponsored by the multi-ethnic human rights organization Families For Freedom in New York on November 29 (the orientation is corrected after the first six and a half minutes). But remember: no two dialogues are the
same. The participants on November 29 were mostly immigrants or sympathizers;
other dialogues include people with opposing views, which we need take
seriously and address with respect.

There are many other educational
resources. One is a series of email “lessons” offered by the Pew Research Center this fall. These deal with basic facts about
immigration: the actual number of immigrants, how many have legal status and
how many don’t, the longterm demographic effects, and how opinions on
immigration have shifted over the years. People might be surprised to learn how
often the facts run counter to the general impressions people have. Go here
to have the emails sent to you.

So what do we need a wall for? To keep them from leaving?

Interestingly, the Pew course is
already a little out of date. While the media continue to talk about the
“influx” of undocumented immigrants, Pew’s latest
study of the undocumented population indicates that it has continued to
fall—from an estimated high of 12.2 million in 2007 to some 10.7 million in
2016.

Finally, for last-minute
shoppers: Do you need a present for someone who has questions about immigration policy? There’s still time to order The Politics of Immigration:
Questions and Answers here, or else from your favorite
bookseller.

Update, 12/19/18: Pew Research has now revised its email course to reflect the new data on the undocumented population.

Monday, December 17, 2018

On December 18th, International
Migrants Day, join us in calling on the US Attorney's Office to drop all charges against No More Deaths
volunteers. Nine volunteers are
currently facing federal charges and lengthy jail sentences for their work
providing humanitarian aid in the borderlands. Elizabeth Strange has the power
to drop the charges and cease these prosecutions immediately. Join us in demanding an end to federal
harassment and prosecution of aid workers.

Many thanks to Families For
Freedom for giving us the opportunity to be part of this intense discussion. With the present intense focus on immigration, it’s more important
than ever for people to share their views and experiences. We look forward to
facilitating more dialogues like this one next years, and we encourage other
people and groups to schedule their own discussions.

Not all dialogues are the same.
The November 29 group included a number of people who were able to talk about
their personal experiences with detention and deportation. Other dialogues have
involved people who expressed very different views on immigration. For us the
goal is to get these various ideas out in the open so that people can check
them against their own experiences and those that others have had.

Note: the view is vertical at the beginning, but it’s
corrected after a few minutes.

About The Politics of Immigration

The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers is a book that goes beyond soundbites to tackle concerns about immigration in straightforward language and an accessible question-and-answer format. For immigrants and supporters, the book is a useful tool to confront stereotypes and disinformation. For those who are undecided about immigration, it lays out the facts and clear reasoning they need to develop an informed opinion. Ideal for classroom use, the updated and expanded 2017 edition provides a succinct overview of U.S. immigration history, policy, and practice, with detailed notes guiding readers toward further exploration.
Guskin and Wilson have written extensively on immigration and facilitated dozens of dialogues on the topic with students, community activists, congregations, and other public audiences. To arrange a dialogue or for more information, contact them at thepoliticsofimmigration@gmail.com.
To stay in the loop on author events and related resources, follow the book on Twitter (@Immigration_QA) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ImmigrationQA/).